STANDARD
INTEGRITY
INSTITUTE

SII / RESPONSIBILITY & SCOPE

Designer or contractor?Find out what the price covers.

Start with who supplies drawings, coordinates trades, checks the site and handles problems after completion. A designer may also manage construction; a turnkey contractor may offer design; a specialist trade may quote for one part only. Compare the actual work and fees, not the job title.

Prepare my questions Compare three ways of working

Unstated does not mean excluded—or included. Ask for the scope, responsible person and fee to be recorded.

SII / SCOPE RECORD

Illustrative responsibility record

Can you name these four contacts?

01
Drawings
Who supplies which drawings and revisions?
02
Programme
Who books each trade and coordinates handovers?
03
Site checks
Who visits, how often, and what is recorded?
04
Follow-up
Who handles repairs, changes and warranty enquiries?

Fields to look for in a quote. Not an actual quotation, fixed service model or determination of liability.

Which parts of the job are you buying?

These are possible arrangements, not standard packages. Ask the person quoting to confirm what their own service includes.

Designer / design company

Starting with the space and drawings

The service may cover layouts, design proposals and material selection, with procurement or construction management offered as well. If you need a developed design, compare the promised deliverables first.

Ask before comparing

Which construction drawings and schedules will I receive? How many revisions?
What do design, supervision, management and construction fees each cover?
If another party builds it, who answers drawing queries and handles design changes?

Turnkey contractor

One lead coordinating the works

The arrangement may include booking trades, buying materials and coordinating the site. One point of contact does not automatically mean every task is included or someone is present full time.

Ask before comparing

Are design and construction drawings included, and to what detail?
Who schedules work, checks the site, keeps records and follows up defects?
Does one contact handle cross-trade repairs, acceptance and warranty enquiries?

Direct specialist trades

A defined part of the work

You might hire an electrician, plumber, carpenter, tiler or painter directly. When several trades are involved, someone still needs to coordinate them; that work is not automatically included in each trade’s labour charge.

Ask before comparing

Who supplies the drawings, dimensions and material requirements?
Who coordinates start dates, handovers and work affecting other trades?
What completion standard, warranty scope and contact apply to each trade?

No management fee. Who does the management?

It does not necessarily have to be you—but someone needs to take it on. Compare the arrangements, cost and time involved. Technical decisions still need appropriate professional input.

Drawings not included

Who will document dimensions, positions, materials and construction details?

Separate trade quotes

Who schedules the sequence, books attendance and deals with delays?

No handover scope

After an opening for new services, who makes good the wall and paint?

Separate warranties

Who receives the enquiry, coordinates investigation and follows the repair through?

Ask for the missing detail in one message.

Select the questions you need, then send the message to each party quoting. Ask them to reference the quotation or attachment version in their reply. This tool organises your questions; it does not assess a quote.

01 / Drawings and design deliverablesInclude in message

List plans, elevations, ceiling and services drawings, joinery details, material schedules and revisions. If only visualisations are supplied, ask which documents will guide construction.

02 / Work scope and quantitiesInclude in message

The same room can mean different scopes. Compare demolition, protection, installation, waste removal, making good and finishing, with locations, quantities, units and exclusions.

03 / Materials and substitutionsInclude in message

Brand alone is not enough. Compare models, dimensions, thickness, grade, hardware, who buys them and how a substitute is agreed if the specified product is unavailable.

04 / Management, site checks and handoversInclude in message

Break management down into scheduling, visits, records, material checks, defect follow-up and coordination between trades. A supervision charge alone does not establish attendance or responsibility.

05 / Work linked to each paymentInclude in message

Compare more than percentages. Identify the completed work behind each instalment, how it is checked and how outstanding items will be recorded.

06 / Additions, omissions and changesInclude in message

Record removed work as well as additions. Identify who proposes, prices and confirms a change, including its effect on the total and programme.

07 / Warranty and problem contactInclude in message

Check coverage, exclusions, the start and length of each period, how to report a problem and expected responses. Establish who coordinates when more than one trade may be involved.

Questions selected: 7 / 7

Message to copy

Hello, I am comparing renovation quotations. Please provide a written reply to the selected questions below, identifying the included scope, responsible person, fees and relevant quotation/attachment version. Please distinguish exclusions from details that are still undecided.

1. Please list the drawings and material schedules to be delivered, their level of detail, revision allowance and delivery dates. If design and construction are separate, who answers drawing queries?

2. Please list work items, quantities, units and inclusions/exclusions by area. Confirm whether demolition, protection, waste removal, making good and finishing are included, with a pricing basis for separately charged work.

3. Please specify material brands, models, dimensions, thickness, grade and hardware. Who purchases them, how are substitutes agreed, and how will any price difference be handled?

4. Who schedules work, how often will site visits occur, what is checked and recorded, and how are issues communicated? Please identify responsibility for trade handovers, material checks, defects and acceptance, and any separate fees.

5. Please link each payment to specific work, a confirmation method and payment conditions. What is the process for acceptance and for recording and resolving outstanding items?

6. What is the process for pricing, written confirmation and authorisation of additions, omissions and changes? Please include extra charges, deductions, programme effects and when changed work may be scheduled.

7. Please list warranty items, periods, start dates, exclusions and reporting/response arrangements. If several trades are involved, who is the main contact for coordination and follow-up?

This is a request for clarification, not acceptance of a quotation, extra charges or authorisation to begin work. Thank you.

This page does not save your selection, upload data or send messages. Refreshing selects all questions again.

What those quote labels do—and do not—tell you.

Which option is usually cheaper?

The label cannot tell you. First compare design, materials, construction, management, site conditions and warranty. Allow for the cost of arranging services explicitly excluded. Ask about unstated items rather than treating them as free or excluded.

Does a supervision fee mean full-time attendance?

Not necessarily. Ask for visit frequency, duties, records and responsibility for follow-up. If you need a dedicated person on site, ask whether that service is provided, how it is arranged and what it costs.

Can I compare totals if the drawings are the same?

Check the drawing version first, then materials, quantities, inclusions, handovers between trades, payment, changes and warranty. The same drawings do not establish the same service or fee boundaries.

Will SII choose a designer or contractor for me?

No. SII reviews documents through Transparency, Consistency, Reasonableness and Executability. LEVEL 1–5 describes Document Maturity, not a provider’s ability, creditworthiness or construction quality. It is not a price appraisal or hiring recommendation.

Still cannot compare the three quotes?

Bring the full quotations, drawings, material schedules and written replies together. Check that they describe the same proposal. SII can help identify details in the documents that still need clarification.

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SII assesses documents, not designers, contractors or trades. This page provides general document-reading information, not market valuation, engineering judgement or legal advice.

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Disclaimer

This report and the website content are intended solely as strategic reference for pricing and contract negotiations, and do not constitute formal legal endorsement.